Battle Report 1
Ambush on the Forest Road
Gaelyn and Percy were traveling along a forest trail with Gaelyn’s younger brother, Jareon. It had been an ordinary day so far, and the three walked at an easy pace beneath the trees.
Jareon had spent much of the journey asking Percy questions about his people. Percy answered patiently, occasionally giving Gaelyn an amused glance as yet another question followed the last.
Then Gaelyn stopped.
His head turned slightly toward the trail ahead.
Something had caught his attention.
(Perception: roll 04 — Critical Success.)
The sound was faint and still some distance away, beyond a bend in the trail where the trees blocked their view. But Gaelyn recognized it immediately.
Fighting.
Then came a cry of pain.
Gaelyn raised a hand, bringing the others to a halt.
“Something is happening ahead.”
Percy listened but could not yet make out what Gaelyn had heard.
“What do you wish to do?” he asked.
Among Percy’s people there was often a tendency to avoid becoming involved in the disputes of the “big people.” Human troubles had an unfortunate habit of becoming complicated.
Gaelyn had no such hesitation.
Someone was in danger.
He motioned toward the woods beside the trail.
“Move forward until you can see what is happening. Stay under cover. Use your bow if you can.”
Then he turned toward Jareon.
The younger boy already looked uneasy.
“Stay here,” Gaelyn told him. “If you hear me shout, run.”
Jareon swallowed and nodded.
Gaelyn and Percy slipped into the trees and began making their way toward the sounds ahead.
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| An ambush spotted |
Turn 1
Percy moved quietly through the undergrowth, carefully placing each foot and using the trees for cover.
(AP 1 used; Stealth 73, roll 13 — Normal Success.)
He moved almost without a sound.
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| Gaelyn in the forest - Bandits in the distance |
Gaelyn followed through the woods but was not quite as fortunate.
(AP 1 used; Stealth 60, roll 62 — Failure.)
A dry branch snapped beneath his boot.
Crack.
Gaelyn froze.
The noise seemed painfully loud in the still forest.
The bandits ahead were distracted by their attack, however, so noticing Gaelyn would be considerably more difficult. I ruled their Perception attempts to be FORMIDABLE, using my simplified modifier of –40%.
Only the bandit leader and the archer hidden off the trail were given an opportunity to notice him.
Both failed.
The archer did particularly badly.
(Bandit Archer Perception: roll 08 — Fumble.)
He was so distracted that there was no chance for him to react to an attack coming from Gaelyn or Percy.
The two companions continued creeping forward until they could finally see the trail ahead.
The scene was grim.
Four poorly equipped bandits had attacked three traveling merchants. None of the attackers looked particularly formidable. They appeared little more than desperate peasants who had taken up weapons and turned to brigandage.
One merchant lay motionless on the ground.
Another lay nearby, crying out from a wound.
The third was on his knees.
“Please,” the man begged. “Take what you want. Just let me live.”
One of the bandits stood over him with an axe, apparently preparing to finish him.
Percy studied the woods around the ambush rather than focusing entirely upon the men on the road.
(Perception: roll 28 — Success.)
That caution paid off.
He spotted another bandit concealed among the trees—the archer.
Gaelyn had not seen him.
Percy quietly indicated the hidden threat.
The two companions chose their targets.
Percy would deal with the archer.
Gaelyn watched the bandit with the axe raise his weapon over the helpless merchant.
Both men took the time to carefully line up their shots.
(AP 2 used; Aim.)
The undergrowth would normally make firing more difficult, but the time spent aiming would offset the penalty.
Turn 2
Percy released his arrow first.
The hidden archer was approximately twenty yards away, so there was no range penalty. Shooting through the undergrowth would normally impose one difficulty grade, but Percy’s Aim offset it.
(AP 1 used; Bow 60, roll 41 — Success.)
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| First Blood - Percy strikes |
The archer had no idea Percy was there and therefore could not defend himself.
Because the attack was part of the ambush and the target was unaware, Percy received two Special Effects.
He chose:
Choose Location — Head
Impale
The arrow flashed through the undergrowth.
(Damage: 5.)
It struck the bandit in the head.
For this encounter I am using a modified version of the Underling rule. The bandits otherwise function as normal characters, but if one suffers a Serious Injury, I consider him out of the fight.
The archer had 4 Hit Points in the head.
He dropped immediately.
Gaelyn was already focused on the axeman standing over the kneeling merchant.
The bandit was beginning his killing stroke when Gaelyn fired.
(AP 1 used; Bow 55, roll 49 — Success.)
The bandit was caught completely by surprise.
Gaelyn chose:
Choose Location
Impale
The arrow struck hard.
(Damage: 5 + 2 bonus damage = 7.)
The bandit collapsed before he could bring the axe down.
He was dead.
For an instant, the remaining bandits simply stared.
A moment earlier they had been in complete control.
Now two of their companions were down, and arrows were coming out of the forest.
Turn 3
The surviving bandits began shouting warnings.
“Attack!”
“Into the trees!”
“Find them!”
The bandit leader reacted particularly quickly.
(Perception: roll 02 — Critical Success.)
His eyes found Gaelyn and Percy almost immediately.
“There!” he shouted, pointing into the woods. “Get them!”
The ambush now became an open fight.
Initiative
Percy — 14
Bandit Leader — 12
Gaelyn — 11
Bandit 2 — 8
Bandit 3 — 5
Percy immediately reached for another arrow.
(AP 1 used; Draw Arrow.)
Bandit Leader charged directly toward Gaelyn.
(AP 1 used; Movement 6 yards.)
Gaelyn had begun roughly fifteen yards away.
The bandit leader closed more than a third of that distance in a few seconds.
Gaelyn drew another arrow and prepared to fire before the man could reach him.
(AP 1 used; Draw Arrow.)
Bandit 2 spotted Percy and rushed toward him.
(AP 1 used; Movement 6 yards.)
He had begun approximately eighteen yards away.
Bandit 3 followed his leader, charging toward Gaelyn.
(AP 1 used; Movement.)
The initiative returned to Percy.
Percy nocked the arrow and fired at the bandit rushing toward him.
The man was charging directly through the trees and had not chosen to Evade.
(AP 2 used; Bow attack, roll 03 — Fumble.)
Something went badly wrong.
Because the bandit had not spent an Action Point defending himself, he was able to choose the resulting Special Effect.
He chose:
Weapon Malfunction
There was a sudden snap.
Percy stared down at his bow.
The string had broken.
The charging bandit kept coming.
Bandit Leader continued his charge toward Gaelyn.
(AP 2 used; Movement.)
He was now only about five yards away.
The distance between them had disappeared frighteningly quickly.
Gaelyn saw the leader bearing down on him.
There would be very little opportunity for another shot. If he missed now, the next exchange would almost certainly be hand-to-hand.
Gaelyn raised the bow and fired.
(AP 2 used; Bow attack, roll 23 — Success.)
The leader had seen Gaelyn raise the weapon and chose to throw himself aside.
(Reaction: 1 AP used; Evade, roll 71 — Failure.)
Gaelyn chose:
Choose Location — Head
The arrow struck.
(Damage: 5 + 2 bonus damage = 7.)
The leader had only 4 Hit Points in the head.
The arrow struck him squarely in the face.
His charge ended instantly.
The bandit leader collapsed into the leaves.
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| The bandit leader down |
Bandit 2 continued toward Percy.
(AP 2 used; Movement.)
He was now only about five yards away.
With Percy’s bow useless, the bandit would be on him almost immediately.
Bandit 3 continued toward Gaelyn but saw his leader fall.
For a moment he hesitated.
I called for a Willpower roll to determine whether the sight of his leader being killed would break his nerve.
(Willpower: roll 11 — Success.)
Instead of fleeing, the sight enraged him.
He shouted and charged forward.
(AP 2 used; Movement.)
Turn 4
The fight had now changed completely.
The bows had done their work.
The surviving bandits were closing for melee.
Percy looked at the useless string hanging from his bow and then at the bandit rushing toward him.
There was no time to restring it.
He dropped the bow and drew his short sword.
(AP 1 used; Drop Bow and Draw Short Sword.)
Gaelyn had the same problem.
The remaining bandit was too close for another comfortable shot.
He tossed aside his bow and drew his axe.
(AP 1 used; Draw Axe.)
Bandit 2 closed the remaining distance with Percy and immediately attacked.
(AP 1 used; Attack 40, roll 46 — Failure.)
Percy chose to defend himself.
(Reaction: 1 AP used; Parry, roll 58 — Failure.)
The bandit’s attack missed, and Percy’s attempted parry was equally ineffective.
Because both combatants failed, neither gained a Special Effect.
Bandit 3 moved another six yards toward Gaelyn.
(AP 1 used; Movement 6 yards.)
He was now close enough to attack with his next Action Point.
The initiative returned to Percy.
The bandit in front of him had just failed to strike and appeared to consider the small halfling little threat.
That assumption proved costly.
Percy lunged forward with his short sword.
(AP 3 used; Short Sword attack, roll 50 — Success.)
The bandit wanted to preserve his remaining Action Point so that he could attack again and therefore chose not to defend.
Because Percy was a halfling fighting a human-sized opponent, I ruled that striking the head was not practical from his position.
Percy instead chose:
Bleed
His short sword slashed into the bandit’s leg.
(Damage: 2.)
Blood immediately began running from the wound.
The wound itself was not devastating, but seeing his own blood destroyed the man’s confidence.
I called for a Willpower roll.
(Willpower — Failure.)
The bandit turned and ran.
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| Percy in trouble! |
Gaelyn decided not to wait for the final bandit to reach him.
He stepped forward and swung his axe.
(AP 2 used; Attack roll 87 — Failure.)
The bandit tried to parry the blow.
(Reaction: 1 AP used; Parry roll 68 — Failure.)
Gaelyn’s axe missed its target, while the bandit’s defensive movement accomplished nothing.
With both rolls failing, neither combatant gained a Special Effect.
Bandit 3 now launched his own attack.
(AP 3 used; Attack roll 63 — Failure.)
Gaelyn still had an Action Point available and chose to parry.
(Reaction: Gaelyn AP 3 used; Parry roll 01 — Critical Success.)
The bandit’s attack was clumsy.
Gaelyn’s defense was nearly perfect.
He knocked the weapon aside and immediately took advantage of the opening.
Gaelyn chose to Disarm his opponent and sent him crashing to the ground in the exchange.
The bandit’s weapon flew from his hand.
A moment later he was lying helplessly in the leaves with Gaelyn standing over him, axe in hand.
All of the man's anger disappeared.
“Please!” he screamed.
He raised his empty hands.
“Please don’t kill me!”
Gaelyn did not strike.
The battle was over.
Aftermath
Percy emerged from the woods carrying his bow and looking with annoyance at the broken string.
He took good care of his bowstrings, and having one break like this was unexpected.
Fortunately, he always carried a couple of spares.
Gaelyn looked back toward where they had left his younger brother.
“Jareon!” he called. “Come forward!”
A few moments later Jareon appeared cautiously through the trees.
Percy took responsibility for watching the surviving bandit while Gaelyn and Jareon went to check the merchants.
The first man was already dead.
There was an arrow buried in his chest and a terrible slash across his stomach.
Jareon stopped when he saw him.
The boy went pale.
The man’s entrails had spilled onto the ground, and for several seconds Jareon looked as though he might vomit.
But another merchant was still alive.
Barely.
Jareon forced himself to move.
He knelt beside the wounded man and tried to stop the bleeding.
His hands were shaking badly.
(First Aid: roll 99 — Failure.)
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| Jaeron helping the wounded |
The boy desperately tried to help, but there was too much blood.
Within moments, the merchant stopped breathing.
Jareon sat back.
His hands were covered with the man's blood.
There was nothing more he could do.
One of the bandits struck earlier in the fight was still alive, however.
Jareon moved to him and attempted First Aid again.
This time he succeeded.
The surviving merchant watched him work.
His name was Forin.
His expression hardened as he looked from the wounded bandit to the bodies of his companions.
“You should finish him,” Forin said.
There was bitterness in his voice.
Gaelyn looked down at the wounded man.
The bandit had helped murder innocent travelers. If they delivered him to the authorities, there was little doubt what punishment awaited him.
But Gaelyn lowered his weapon.
“We will take him for justice,” he said.
Forin stared at him.
“No doubt he will face death for this,” Gaelyn continued, “but I am no killer.”
The forest had grown quiet again.
Only minutes earlier it had been an ordinary road on an ordinary day.
Now two merchants lay dead. Several bandits had fallen. Another had fled bleeding into the forest, and one remained alive to answer for what he had done.
And for Jareon, the world beyond his home had suddenly become far more dangerous—and far more real.
